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November 20, 2006
Shock Horror!
Well, really, who would have thought it?
Critics claimed the shake-up would lead to even more drunkenness and
increased mayhem on the streets at night. But 12 months later, the
doom-mongers appear to have been proved wrong. Police in cities across
the country are seeing a decline in night-time disorder and violence.
...
Chief Insp Lawrence Hobbs of Brighton police said: "Actual bodily harm
is down 11 per cent in the last 12 months. Grievous bodily harm is down
by about 14 per cent.
...
Richard Marshall-Duffield, the landlord of the Famous Three Kings, in Fulham, south London, which finishes serving at midnight during the week and 1am at the weekend with an extra hour's drinking-up time, said that the extra time had transformed the behaviour of customers.
He said: "The key is the hour drinking-up time. People are ready to leave of their own accord at 2am, especially if they are working in the morning.
"We used to have trouble here at closing time but now drinkers actually shake the hand of the doorman."
My word, amazing isn't it? When treated as responsible adults the British are in fact, umm, responsible adults. Really, who would have thought it?
So, what are the next pieces of Nanny State regulation that we can do away with? Restrictions on working hours perhaps?
November 20, 2006 in Food and Drink | Permalink
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Comments
"But 12 months later, the doom-mongers appear to have been proved wrong. "
Hang on. Weren't the Telegraph one of the papers who gave lots of soft coverage to these "doom-mongers"? The sort of people who can't believe that the average person can be responsible (going as far as to suggest that somehow we weren't as civilised as the French).
The same sort of nannies who, when the government suggested liberating afternoon drinking a decade or more ago, proclaimed that society would collapse as workers would not return from lunch. The opposite happened - that whilst occassionally, people enjoyed an afternoon off, in the main people drank less because they weren't drinking up to the bell.
The effects of night drinking were exactly what many who actually went drinking predicted - that with 11pm times, everyone wanted to make 11pm. So, everyone left at the same time. But that with later times, not everyone would want to do 2am, so they would be more staggered. People would have less time to wait for a taxi, reducing the chance of a fight over a taxi/girl/kebab.
Posted by: Tim Almond | Nov 20, 2006 9:42:21 AM
"more staggered": no doubt.
Posted by: dearieme | Nov 20, 2006 7:30:37 PM
